


Bright Lights

by galactic-pirates (stillsearching47)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, F/M, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-05 22:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11022990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillsearching47/pseuds/galactic-pirates
Summary: Written forA Monthly Rumbelling: May.As clandestine meeting spots went, going undercover at a strip club was hardly Belle French's preferred option. For a start where was she supposed to put her gun? The silver lining is that Alistair Gold is her contact. Belle has hidden her attraction to him for months and once she starts to dance, she isn't sure if the provocative position is a blessing or a curse.





	Bright Lights

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Strip Club

It was a guilty pleasure, and not anything she would ever admit to any of her colleagues, but Belle was quite fond of spy movies. Most of her colleagues groaned at the inaccurate portrayals because life on the big screen was a lot more exciting than real life. They didn’t show the hours of pointless surveillance, or the reams of paperwork, or the hundreds of dead-ends they had to chase up just in case. It was also a lot less painful. Belle had been shot, and while the hero in the movie was always fine by the time the credits rolled, in reality it was months of physical therapy and her body had never felt quite the same. There was always this awareness of the prior injury because scar tissue while healed just felt different.

She enjoyed the movies anyway, she liked to see if they ever came close to getting it right. Belle wasn’t a drinker but she could have turned it into a game; take one shot for every time the agent touched their ear piece, take another for talking into their sleeve, take one more for when they are talking on a park bench while pretending to ignore one another. Honestly if real spies behaved like that, there would be very few old spies and a lot more dead ones. It was like a recipe for the quickest way to blow a spies cover.

So as they couldn’t meet on a park bench, clandestine meetings had to be a little more imaginative and a lot more subtle, which is what led Belle to her current situation - prowling around a strip club in her underwear.

It was hardly her preferred kind of meeting spot, for a start where was she supposed to put her gun? However beggars couldn’t be choosers and this meet had been arranged in a hurry. The Rabbit Hole was a dive of a strip club, which had a revolving door of girls, so Belle working just one night wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. Neither would her returning to work another single night in future, should that happen. It was casual cash-in-hand work. Girls queued up at the door, stripped down to their underwear, got leered at and hired, or jeered at and thrown out. It was horrifying, debasing and nothing Belle would ever have chosen to do but it suited their purposes.

The interior of the Rabbit Hole was loud, with pounding bass music and raucous shouting from inebriated men. Lights flashed in time with the music, and her heels stuck to the beer stained linoleum. It was hot, from the press of too many bodies in such a small space, and sweat trickled down her back. Belle evaded the wandering hands by prowling the club, always looking intent on her destination so it looked like she was going somewhere, but really she was just moving from one place to another so she didn’t get cornered.

For the sake of her cover she should probably dance for a few random drunks. She’d had to do a lot of things she wasn’t comfortable with in the course of her career, this was only the latest in a long list, but her skin crawled at the idea. Fortunately before it became an issue her contact strolled in the door.

Alistair Gold was something of a legend in the service. He had more years in the ‘great game’ than almost any other agent. Belle had heard so many stories. For instance, five years ago Gold’s cover had been blown and he’d been captured. The arms dealer Gold had been tracking had been furious, and had tortured him for hours to find out what the agency knew. Gold hadn’t given up anything, not even when they’d shot him and shattered his knee. Everyone had thought that was the end of his career, but even though he now couldn’t walk without a cane, Gold had gone straight back to work.

Belle had worked with him a few times. Gold was a hard taskmaster and he didn’t tolerate fools; he expected people to do their best and wasn’t afraid of chewing them out if he felt their work wasn’t up to standard. That being said Belle had watched him comfort a junior agent once after the death of a colleague, he’d encouraged them to cry and had been incredibly gentle and kind. He was clearly a man of many layers, someone she would love to get to know better, but Gold disappeared outside of work. It was like he didn’t have a personal life, or if he did then he hid it well, and asking him out for dinner or drinks was just too daunting.

“Well hello there.” Belle strode over and sultrily ran her hand up Gold’s chest. She smirked. “Care for a dance?”

“That is why I’m here,” Gold quipped.

Belle turned and exaggeratedly swung her hips as she walked away, she was trying to sell the part of a stripper. The Rabbit Hole was mainly just one large room, there were small tables dotted around, and a few larger booths for parties. They all surrounded the three small stages, which had poles and women grinding and dancing. However, there were a few private booths intended for VIP’s, those the girls thought had the deepest pockets. Belle wouldn’t be surprised if more than just dancing happened sometimes, with the Rabbit Hole manager looking the other way so long as he got his cut - it was that kind of place.

Gold followed her into the booth and Belle pulled the privacy curtain closed. A calculated risk because while nobody could see them beyond their shadows, they couldn’t see anyone coming either. The few feet between the curtain and the bench seat, coupled with the pounding music and buzz of excited patrons, meant their conversation would go unheard, especially as they would whisper directly into each others ear. Gold shrugged out of his jacket, leaving him in just a shirt and tie, and settled comfortably onto the bench seat.

They couldn’t be sure that there weren’t cameras, so even though they weren’t being directly observed they still had to put on a show. Belle bit her lip and traced her body with her hands, undulating to the music, and trying very hard not to blush. She couldn’t decide if this would be easier or worse if it was any agent other than Gold. With another agent it would just be business, with Gold the little voice at the back of her head was wondering if he liked what he saw.

Belle certainly liked what she was seeing, Gold always cut a fine figure in his suits, and in the privacy of her own mind Belle was willing to admit she enjoyed his briefings for more than his sarcastic comments. She suspected she could listen to him read the phone book. He’d recently cut his hair, and while she had liked it long, it looked just as good like this. Belle straddled his lap, resting her hands on his shoulders for balance. She bent her head, her breath hot against his ear.

“Queen has made contact with the target, Swan reports code green,” Belle whispered.

She tossed her head back, and smirked at him, as she rolled her hips, rocking and grinding against him. Her hands moved to his tie, loosening it and undoing the top two buttons. Belle’s mouth went dry, it was the most skin she’d ever seen on Gold, he was always impeccably dressed and this sliver of exposed skin was somehow more erotic than stripping his shirt completely. It was like a hint at the forbidden, something he would never normally allow, and she knew she’d taken a liberty. Gold’s expression was amused but he was a consummate professional, he would never break cover to reprimand her for an action expected in a strip club.

“Oh yeah that’s good baby, keep talking,” Gold said loudly.

His eyes flickered to the curtain and Belle knew he’d spotted a shadow standing there. She buried her face in his neck to hide her twitching lips. She had enough self-control not to laugh but it was a near run thing. Gold’s tone was so exaggerated, and so not-him. Belle cursed her imagination, which had always been good, for instantly conjuring up a more realistic scene. Gold saying those same words, except perhaps swapping out ‘baby’ for a more suitable endearment, and he would speak breathlessly, almost reverently, his eyes filled with warmth and desire. Belle shivered at the image, banishing it to the back of her mind where it belonged.

“Snow and Charming planted all the gear,” Belle continued whispering in his ear. “Nothing has flagged yet. Queen is wrangling an invite to the country estate, we might have more luck there.”

Gold’s breathing hitched and Belle saw his throat bob. “Have you ...” His tongue darted out to wet his lips, making Belle do the same to hers. Their provocative position was only making her attraction to him worse. “Has Hood made contact?”

Belle shook her head, reluctantly rising from his lap and turning to dance some more. There were several shadows beyond the curtain and she mentally grimaced. “Do you like that?” she cooed, swaying her hips to the music. Gold’s fingers curled around her hips and Belle swallowed, his hands were warm and his grip was so gentle and soft, just as she’d imagined.

“Sit back down,” Gold growled, a few moments later, tugging her abruptly so she fell into his lap.

The shadows disappeared. Belle was almost certain they were just random patrons soaking up the atmosphere, but they could never be too careful, so she giggled playfully and slapped his arm. She shivered as Gold’s mouth found her ear.

“The sheriff reported Hood passed through, the arrow is in the quiver,” Gold reported. “Waiting on the Queen to call it.” He sighed and his mouth twisted. “Tell Swan that the Wicked Witch is in town. It would probably be better to close out this week.”

Belle’s mouth set in a thin line. “I understand.”

Another shadow appeared at the curtain. “You’re brilliant,” Gold blurted out. “And beautiful,” he added hastily. His hand softly stroked her shoulder where she had a puckered white scar from where she’d been shot. “Truly beautiful.”

“I ... “ Belle’s eyes met his and her mind went blank.

That had sounded real and not just faked for the benefit of their cover, but she could be reading more into it than there was. In a situation like this it was easy to project her feelings, and completely misread Gold’s signals. She didn’t want to embarrass herself, Gold was a senior colleague and he’d never given any sign before this that he even _might_ be interested. Belle shifted, when he’d tugged her and she’d fallen into his lap, she had overbalanced. He’d held her upright, her side against his chest as she half-sat on one thigh, her legs thrown over his other leg. She moved so she was holding herself up again, straddling his thigh, and her mouth fell open and she felt Gold tense behind her.

When she’d shifted, she’d moved backwards, and her arse was now flush against his crotch and there was an unmistakable bulge there. He was hard. Belle’s lips twitched, she wanted to smile, she wanted to punch the air in victory, but from the tension in his frame he was obviously embarrassed she’d felt him and she didn’t want him to think she was laughing at him. His response might not be for her anyway, it might just be ‘any woman in this position would do’ because it _was_ a provocative position.

The shadow was still there. Belle turned so she was straddling his lap. “Let me dance for you again baby,” Belle suggested loudly. Gold looked stricken and wouldn’t meet her eyes, turning his head as she started to grind against him. She felt a stab of guilt, they had to keep cover but that was only an excuse at this point. “It’s ok, it’s only natural,” she murmured softly in his ear.

Gold softly gripped her thighs halting her movement. “They are gone,” he mouthed, meeting her eyes for a second before swiftly looking away. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, I said it’s fine,” Belle whispered, hooking one finger under his chin to make him look at her. She smiled, trying to reassure him with her eyes. It was more than fine, but she still didn’t know how he felt so she wasn’t going to say anything shameless like ‘I’m enjoying it too’. “It’s natural,” she repeated firmly.

If anything Gold looked even more uncomfortable. “It might be natural,” Gold accepted, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, as he looked off to one side, before forcing himself to meet her eyes again. “But I wouldn’t be reacting like this if you were anyone else.”

Belle’s breath caught in her throat. Had Gold just said what she thought he’d just said? Could it be true that he shared her feelings? She’d thought the attraction was one-sided, as Gold had never given any hints otherwise. Belle felt a stab of irritation as she wondered how long they’d been mutually attracted to one another, and neither of them had said a word. In their line of work more than most, there was a feeling that they should live for today because tomorrow might not come, and the wasted time burned.

“All this time I thought my attraction was just one-sided,” Belle confessed.

Gold’s eyes widened. “You ...?” Belle nodded fiercely and he reached up a hand to cup her face.

She turned and pressed a kiss into his palm. He swallowed and then Belle wasn’t sure who moved first, but her lips were against his and the gentle pressure, the slow slide of his slightly chapped lips against hers was everything she’d dreamed about. After a moment they broke apart, and she rested her forehead against his, their breath mingling between them.

“I didn’t expect that,” Gold admitted.

Belle twisted to look behind her but there were no shadows. Even so, she pressed her mouth against his ear. “When this is all over, you want to get drinks or dinner or something?”

She flushed at her inarticulate invitation, that was something else about their line of work, there wasn’t much time for a personal life and she was a bit out of practice.

“Yes, definitely, yes, I’d like that,” Gold agreed, almost stumbling over his own words in his haste.

Belle beamed at him and couldn’t resist stealing another kiss. When they broke apart Gold smiled softly at her, an expression she’d never seen on his face before, but one she hoped to see a lot more. He looked years younger, the stress lines just fading away, and she wanted to kiss him again but they were still in the strip club and that kind of contact was against the rules. It wouldn’t do for them to break their cover over something so easily avoidable. They would have time to explore this potential new relationship once the mission was over.

“I think my dance is over,” Gold pointed out reluctantly.

With just as much reluctance Belle slid off his lap. There was still several hours to go until the end of her shift and she’d rather spend them with Gold, rather than wandering around trying to avoid the grabby hands of the increasingly intoxicated patrons. Still it wouldn’t be wise, the information had been shared, and they didn’t want to get carried away together. Gold reached into his pocket and withdrew several large bills, the average kind of payment for a high-roller in one of these booths. Belle accepted the money with a smile.

“Please, do come again,” Belle purred exaggeratedly.

“Absolutely, the pleasure was all mine.” Gold smirked, as Belle opened the privacy curtains and he stepped past her into the main part of the club. He winked and strolled away.

Belle watched him leave, mentally correcting his parting statement. The pleasure had definitely been mutual. If only the information he’d given her had been as good. The mission was now in jeopardy, and they might not get the result they wanted. Although while professionally it might be a bust, personally there was a definite silver lining to the mission being put in the fast lane. Belle wondered if she should ask how long Gold had been attracted to her but decided she didn’t want to know. She was already counting the days until the mission ended, and this would mean it was a shorter wait. They had already lost enough time.

She didn’t know if it would work out between them. Statistically their profession and relationships didn’t mix well, but Belle had always believed that when you found something worth fighting for, then you never gave up. Just because they did what they did, didn’t mean they had to be lonely. Everyone deserved the chance to find true love. Belle didn’t know if Gold was the one, for now there was just mutual attraction, but she felt the frisson of potential. Love should be layered and Gold was definitely a man with many layers. She couldn’t wait to start unraveling them.


End file.
